High Speed Rail Authority: ‘The judge did not invalidate bonds as approved by voters’

The following statement is from Dan Richard, chairman, California High Speed Rail Authority:

“We are reviewing both decisions to chart our next steps, but it is important to stress that the court again declined the opposition’s request to stop the high-speed rail project from moving forward. Additionally, the judge did not invalidate the bonds as approved by the voters in Proposition 1A. Like all transformative projects, we understand that there will be many challenges that will be addressed as we go forward in building the nation’s first high-speed rail system.”

The rulings Richard references were issued by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny after hearing arguments regarding voter-approved requirements on spending for the $68 billion bullet train project that will span from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The authority may still use $3 billion in federal funds to break ground in the Central Valley, but must fulfill the rulings’ requirements before gaining access to nearly $8 billion in funds to continue the project. For more information, contact Bryan Starr, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs.